Our modern calendar doesn’t just track the passage of time—it tells a story written into the very structure of history. The terms Anno Domini (AD) and Before Christ (BC) divide history into two vast eras, both centered around a singular, world-altering event: the coming of Jesus Christ.

Anno Domini is Latin for “in the year of our Lord,” a shortened form of anno Domini nostri Jesu Christi—“in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Everything after His birth is marked AD, and everything before, BC. There is no year zero—time pivots directly from 1 BC to AD 1, like a fulcrum centered on one life.

This dating system was first introduced by a monk named Dionysius Exiguus in AD 525, though it wasn’t widely adopted until the 9th century. And while “BC” and “AD” are unique to English, other languages have their versions—Latin used ante Christum natum, meaning “before Christ was born.”

What’s fascinating—perhaps even ironic—is that this same calendar remains in universal use by historians, scientists, archaeologists, and educators around the world. But in recent decades, in an attempt to make the system appear more “inclusive,” the original designations have been rebranded: BC has become BCE (“Before the Common Era”) and AD is now CE (“Common Era”).

They redesignated the calendar to erase Him from history, changing BC to BCE, and AD to CE.
But no matter what they try… the fulcrum of history still rests on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Lord and the Savior of the world. I stick with the old designations.

Gratitude,

Anthony Barbera